ITVI20090182A1 - STREET LIGHTING DEVICE FOR ENERGY SAVING WITH TELEVISION FUNCTIONS - Google Patents

Description

SAVING ROAD LIGHTING DEVICE

ENERGY WITH REMOTE ASSISTANCE FUNCTIONS

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The present invention generally refers to an energy-saving public street lighting device with remote assistance functions.

More specifically, the invention relates to a new street lighting device, with discharge and / or LED lamps, in which new energy saving methods deriving from the use of sensors are integrated; in addition to this, the lighting fixture is capable of supporting communication networks intended for remote assistance, as well as allowing the management of photovoltaic modules suitably installed on respective support poles.

Public street lighting systems consist of a set of poles, on which respective lighting projectors are mounted.

This structural configuration is ideally suited for the integration of one or more photovoltaic solar modules, which can be conveniently mounted on the poles themselves, in order to achieve significant energy savings, not only in the private sector, but also at of public structure, as well as in order to implement additional auxiliary functions of public utility.

The purpose of the present invention is, therefore, to realize an energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, which performs the functions of public lighting at night, using, for the switching on of public lighting during the night, the electricity produced during the day and stored or fed into the electricity supply network by an appropriate photovoltaic generator, which is attached to the lighting pole.

Another purpose of the present invention is that of realizing an energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, which allows to obtain a high energy saving and a consequent saving in terms of energy costs.

A further purpose of the invention is to create an energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, which can be applied to any public lighting pole still in use, which is extremely easy to install and maintain. and that, at the same time, allows the implementation of further public utility functions.

These and other purposes, according to the present invention, are achieved by realizing an energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, according to the attached claim 1; further specific and detailed technical characteristics are contained in the subsequent dependent claims.

Advantageously, according to the invention, it is envisaged to mount one or more photovoltaic solar modules or panels on each pole still used for public street lighting.

In particular, the street lighting device according to the invention consists of:

- a set of street lights, mounted on respective poles for public lighting (street lamps), which use LED light sources or high pressure discharge lamps or bulbs, for the lighting of public roads, each equipped with a photovoltaic generator, consisting of a photovoltaic module of 150-180 W and an inverter integrated in the power supply of the lamp;

- a â € œradio spread spectrumâ € type radio transceiver, integrated in each individual projector; - a controller, integrated in the power supply of each individual projector, capable of balancing the energy produced by the photovoltaic generator with the energy consumed by the lighting lamp;

- a set of motion sensors, each inserted in each public lighting pole, capable of instantly detecting the movement of people or things on the roadway illuminated by street lights;

- a set of radio remote controls, capable of sending emergency request messages.

Further characteristics and advantages of an energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, according to the present invention, will become more evident from the following description, referring to an exemplary and preferred, but not limiting, embodiment of the invention and accompanying drawings where: - figure 1 is a partial exploded view of a first embodiment of a street projector used in the energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, according to the present invention;

- figure 2 is a perspective view from above of the road headlamp of figure 1, using high pressure discharge lamps as light source, according to the present invention; - figure 3 is a perspective view from below of the road headlamp of figure 1, according to the present invention;

- figure 4 is a perspective view from above of a second embodiment, using LED as a light source, of a street projector used in the energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, according to the present invention;

- figure 5 is a perspective view from below of the road projector of figure 4, according to the present invention;

- figure 6 is a partial perspective view of a pole or lamppost for street lighting, complete with photovoltaic solar panel, used in the energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, according to the present invention;

- figure 7 is a partial schematic top plan view of a possible arrangement of poles or lampposts for street lighting used in the energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, according to the present invention;

- figure 8 is a front view of a possible arrangement of poles or lampposts for street lighting used in the energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, according to the present invention;

- figure 9 is a perspective view of a possible arrangement of poles or lampposts for street lighting used in the energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, according to the present invention.

With reference to the aforementioned figures, the energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, according to the present invention, comprises a series of street projectors 10, mounted on respective poles 11 for public street lighting (street lamps).

Each pole or street lamp 11 is equipped with a photovoltaic generator, consisting of a photovoltaic module 12 of 150-180 W and an inverter, which is integrated in the power supply of the light source of the projector 10, while each street projector 10 includes a radio transceiver, preferably of the â € œradio spread spectrumâ € type, and a controller, integrated in the power supply of the light source of the projector 10, capable of balancing the energy produced by the photovoltaic generator with the energy consumed by the light source .

The floodlight 10 mainly comprises a molded aluminum casing or housing 13, a cover 14 with hook 26 for connection to the lighting pole 11, one or more light sources (consisting of a matrix of LEDs 25 or one or more two (one of which reserves the other) high pressure gas discharge lamps 15, in the latter case equipped with relative lamp holders 16, supports 19, 20, reflector screens 17 and anti-reflective base glass 18) , a support bracket 21, a power supply 22 with inverter and integrated radio transceiver with relative antenna 24 and at least one sensor 23 for the movement of people and / or things in the illuminated area.

As illustrated in detail in figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 attached, as mentioned, to each street projector 10 is associated, mounted on the same pole or street lamp 11, a photovoltaic module 12, electrically connected to the power supply 22 with inverter contained into the projector 10.

In particular, in the head of the pole 11 it is possible to replace the existing street projector with the projector 10 containing the power supply 22 for the operation of the light source and the inverter for the photovoltaic module 12; module 12 consists of a single solar panel of about 150-180 W at a height of 5-6 meters from the ground, is inclined at 30 ° and is mounted by means of a fixed bracket 27, which is oriented towards the South to maximize energy production and avoid shading due to pole 11 itself.

Furthermore, this installation method, which assumes that the direction of the South is included in the area outside the carriageway or roadway 28, thus allows not to clutter up the roadway 28 and not to interfere with the luminous flux of each street lamp 11.

The inverter converts the electrical energy of the solar panel 12 and conveys the energy into the same electrical network that powers the floodlight 10 of the lamp post or street pole 11; when the street lamp 11 is turned on, the solar inverter is off, so that the two functions are alternatively active.

In this way, the interfacing of a photovoltaic production system with the electricity grid is obtained, according to the specific regulations in force, and the control of the street lamps 11.

By mounting the photovoltaic module 12 on the lighting pole 11 in this way (note that it is always possible to find the optimal orientation of the module 12 towards the south) there are no shadows cast by the pole 11 on the module 12 during the day, even if pole 11 higher than module 12, because pole 11 is always north of module 12; furthermore, the module 12 does not in any way shield the light emitted by the projector 10 of the street lamp 11 because the photovoltaic module 12 is always located in the rear half-space of the street lamp 11.

Finally, the dimensions of the photovoltaic module 12 (which is about 1 meter to 1 meter) are optimal, as they allow it to be applied to most of the pre-existing street lighting poles 11, without the need to use mechanical reinforcement of the piles themselves or consolidating the foundation plinths; in fact, with these dimensions, the application of additional stresses to the structure (caused, for example, by snow and / or wind) does not exceed, in most cases, the structural limits of the pile-foundation assembly.

As already mentioned, each road headlamp 10 integrates, inside it and in particular inside the power supply 22 of the light sources, a motion sensor 23 for people or things present on the roadway 28.

This sensor 23 is, for example, of the very low power doppler effect radar type and allows you to control the entire area illuminated by the projector 10.

In order to achieve the maximum possible saving of energy consumed by the street lamp 11 to illuminate the road, the aforementioned sensor 23, moment by moment, detects the presence of movement in its area to illuminate it only when necessary. In the absence of movement, the area is illuminated with a minimum light intensity, while the intensity is increased to maximum levels in the presence of movement. Operation depends on the type of light source present in the projector 10.

In the case of LED matrix 25, whose intensity can be modulated in real time with extreme speed of variation, the strategy consists in a rapid increase and decrease of the luminous intensity according to the presence of movement.

In the case of discharge lamps 15, whose brightness variation has a very slow temporal dynamics (tens of seconds), the luminous intensity is adjusted according to the â € œ average movementâ € of people or things, in the sense that the sensor of movement 23 analyzes the movement over several minutes and elaborates a brightness strategy according to the average amount of movement in the time frame considered. The street lighting regulations require that lighting be guaranteed that allows a motorist, during his transit, to perceive a constant luminance of minimum specified intensity, with defined uniformity and glare requirements; these characteristics are guaranteed by a set of street lights arranged according to a very precise system geometry.

It is clear that compliance with the lighting parameters required by the regulations is guaranteed, for each elementary section into which the length of a road can be divided, by a subset of projectors that constitute it; in fact, the street lights are constructed in such a way that the lighting effect of each extends to the area illuminated by the 2-3 neighboring, preceding and following floodlights.

It is therefore clear that any light regulation strategy that maintains compliance with regulatory requirements in all road use conditions must take this aspect into account.

The device according to the invention makes use of radio communication, which connects each street lamp 11 with the adjacent ones to implement the regulation strategy.

In particular, in the absence of detected movements, the device is placed in a condition of minimum brightness, except for the lampposts or poles 11 placed at the beginning and at the end of the road, which are kept at a higher brightness.

As soon as the first lamppost 11 on the road verifies a movement, a radio message is sent to the following lampposts 11, which, preceding the passage of the vehicle, increase the brightness to the values necessary to guarantee the regulatory lighting requirements.

As the vehicle progresses, an increasing number of street lamps 11, which anticipate the ignition with respect to the position of the vehicle, increase their brightness, so as to create a wave of light that precedes the movement of the vehicle .

When the vehicle has passed, again thanks to the radio messaging that the street lamps 11 exchange via the antenna 24, in the absence of detected movement, the street lamps 11 which no longer contribute to the illumination of the portion of road used by the vehicle reduce brightness again, returning to the rest position.

In this way, for example in uncrowded suburban roads, it is possible to achieve very high savings in electricity.

It is evident that this operating mode is only possible with LED matrix headlamps 25, while, in the case of discharge lamps 15, the brightness can only be adjusted over long times based on the average intensity of traffic. , but, in this case, the minimum guaranteed brightness must be much higher and never less than 50% of the maximum (also because the brightness of the high pressure discharge lamps 15 cannot be adjusted to lower levels). On the contrary, with the LED matrix 25 it is possible to reduce the brightness to minimum levels, even lower than 10% of the maximum luminous flux, thanks to the possibility of adjusting the brightness in real time (â € œreal time dimmeringâ €) and the flexibility adjustment of this type of source (continuously adjustable from 0 to 100%).

The integration into the power supply 22 of the light sources of the projector 10 of a photovoltaic inverter allows, during the day, to inject the photovoltaic energy into the same electrical network that powers the projector 10 at night.

One goal that the device according to the invention has, in fact, is to achieve an energy balance with zero sum between the electricity consumed by each projector 10 and the electricity produced by the respective photovoltaic generator during a calendar year.

In particular, in the case of headlamp 10 with LED matrix 25, an energy saving strategy consists in maximizing the light emitted by the headlights 10 of each street according to the available energy balance, so as to guarantee the maximum night light compatible with the energy balance.

Thanks to the radio communication and the control algorithms contained in the power supply 22, complete with inverter (which obviously also integrates the energy consumed and energy produced meters), it is possible to achieve this balance and therefore always provide the optimal light, zero energy cost.

It is evident that the system guarantees compliance with the regulatory requirements for road traffic safety, because the energy sizing of the photovoltaic panel 12 and the inverter on average guarantees compliance with the various conditions.

In fact, for example, a 150 W photovoltaic module 12 provides an average of 165 kWh / year in Northern Italy, while a 100 W 25 LED matrix street projector 10, with switching on for 8.5 hours a day on average for 365 days. per year, it consumes approximately 310 kWh at full power.

Therefore, a saving of more than 47% of the energy of the headlight 10 is enough to achieve the breakeven and, in low traffic streets, this objective is statistically achievable without difficulty through the device made according to the invention.

Finally, the users passing through the road illuminated by the headlamps 10 can be

BR / A10561 equipped with a radio remote control, equipped with spread spectrum communication, to transmit radio messages to the projectors 10.

In fact, when a user who is on the road presses a button of this remote control, a radio message is received, through the antenna 24, by the nearest projector 10, which instantly increases its brightness for the purpose, for example , to dissuade an attacker or for further functional needs of the user (for example, if the user is stationary on the roadside with a mechanical failure to the vehicle he was driving).

In particular, the radio remote control can be equipped with two buttons: an emergency call button and another button for controlling the brightness of the projectors 10 of the street lamps 11.

If the emergency call button is pressed, the radio message reaches the nearest projector 10, which immediately increases the brightness and starts flashing (in the case of a LED matrix projector 10 25) or switches on the second lamp 15 reserve (in the case of a headlamp with 15 gas-discharge lamps).

In both cases, the aim is the dissuasion of a possible attacker and the identification from a distance of the point where the user in need of help is located. Within a predetermined time interval (for example 10 seconds), the user must confirm the alarm by pressing the emergency call button again.

In this case, the alarm message is automatically transferred from one projector 10 to another, up to a control unit for the supervision and management of the lighting system; this control unit, equipped with a GSM / GPRS / UMTS modem, then sends an SMS or an alarm call to the service center to which it is connected, where an operator is able to alert the police or rescue teams .

If the brightness control button is pressed, the effect is to increase the brightness of the street lamps 11 which affect the stretch of road where the user is located.

The command can be timed (in the event of a single press of the button) and in this case the projectors 10 increase the brightness up to the maximum value and remain in this state for a predetermined time (for example for 15 minutes), or the command it can be kept all night and cease the next day (if the remote control button is pressed for 3 successive times within 5 seconds). This last modality can be useful in case of a night event (for example a fair or market), for which you want to increase the brightness of the street to the maximum possible value. From the above description, the technical characteristics of the energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, which is the subject of the present invention, are clear, as well as the advantages. In particular, they are represented by the following aspects:

- simplified installation of the photovoltaic module on the pole of each road projector;

- possibility of replacing the armature at the top of the pole for the installation of the projector;

- reuse of the same pre-existing electrical connections;

- control and supervision with the sole integration of the control unit of the street lighting system;

- possibility of installing the solar panel without obstructing the roadway and / or interfering with the luminous flux of the street lamp;

- optimal orientation and sizing of the photovoltaic module, which can be easily applied to existing lighting poles;

- considerable energy savings by means of a motion detector;

- possibility to implement remote assistance functions.

Finally, it is clear that numerous other variations can be made to the street lighting device in question, without departing from the novelty principles inherent in the inventive idea, just as it is clear that, in the practical implementation of the According to the invention, the materials, the shapes and the dimensions of the illustrated details may be any according to the requirements and the same may be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.

Claims (14)

CLAIMS 1. Energy-saving street lighting device with remote assistance functions, comprising at least one headlight (10), which uses LED (25) or high pressure discharge (15) light sources for lighting, and one or more modules or photovoltaic solar panels (12) connected to respective photovoltaic generators, each projector (10) and each photovoltaic module (12) being mounted on a respective pole or lamp post (11) used for public street lighting, characterized by the fact that each projector (10) includes at least one radio transceiver, at least one controller and at least one inverter, said controller and said inverter being integrated inside a power supply (22) of said light sources and being able to balance the energy produced by each photovoltaic generator with the energy consumed by said light sources. 2. Street lighting device as per claim 1, characterized by the fact that at least one motion sensor (23) is inserted in each pole (11) or floodlight (10), so as to detect the movement of people or things on the seat road (28) illuminated by said projectors (10). 3. Street lighting device as in claim 1, characterized in that said light sources include a matrix of LEDs (25) or one or more high pressure gas discharge lamps (15), equipped with respective lamp holders (16), reflector screens (17) and anti-reflective glass (18). 4. Street lighting device as in claim 1, characterized by the fact that said photovoltaic module (12) is installed on the lighting pole (11) below said projector (10) and at a given height from the ground, is inclined to about 30 ° and is mounted by means of a bracket (27) oriented towards South, in order to maximize energy production, avoid shading of the pole (11) itself and so that said photovoltaic module (12) is installed behind the projector ( 10) and on the opposite side with respect to the road (28). 5. Street lighting device as in claim 2, characterized in that said movement sensor (23) controls said headlight (10), so as to illuminate the roadway (28) with a minimum light intensity in the absence of movement and with a maximum intensity in the presence of movement. 6. Street lighting device as per claim 5, characterized by the fact that, if the light sources consist of a matrix of LEDs (25), said luminous intensity is modulated through a rapid increase and decrease of the luminous intensity , depending on the presence of movement on the roadway (28). 7. Street lighting device as per claim 5, characterized by the fact that, if the light sources consist of discharge lamps (15), the luminous intensity is adjusted according to an average amount of movement of people or things on the roadway (28) in a set time. 8. Street lighting device as per claim 5, characterized by the fact that the lampposts or poles (11) placed at the beginning and at the end of the roadway (28) are kept at a higher luminous intensity than the other poles (11) . 9. Street lighting device as per claim 5, characterized in that when said motion sensor (23) of a headlight (10) verifies a movement, the radio transceiver of said headlight (10) sends a radio message to the headlights (10) ) of the following poles (11), which increase the luminosity to values necessary to guarantee the normative requirements of illumination, so as to create a wave of light that precedes said movement. 10. Street lighting device as per claim 5, characterized by the fact that, in the absence of detected movement, the poles or lampposts (11) that do not contribute to the illumination of the portion of the roadway (28) where the movement is detected they reduce the brightness, until they go into a state of rest. Street lighting device as per claim 5, characterized in that the users passing through the roadway (28) illuminated by said projectors (10) are equipped with a radio remote control, suitable for transmitting radio messages towards said projectors (10) , which increase their brightness in order to dissuade an attacker and / or for other functional needs of the user, such as mechanical damage to the vehicle. 12. Street lighting device as in claim 11, characterized in that said radio remote control includes an emergency request button and a button for controlling the brightness of said projectors (10), said emergency request being confirmed by the user by pressing again said help request button within a predetermined time interval. 13. Street lighting device as in claim 12, characterized by the fact that said request for help is automatically transferred from one projector (10) to another, up to a supervision and management control unit of the lighting system, said control unit being able to send alarm messages and / or telephone calls to a service center to which it is connected and where an operator is able to alert law enforcement or rescue teams. 14. Street lighting device as in claim 1, characterized by the fact that said light sources can be activated in time, so that the headlamps (10) increase the brightness up to a maximum value and remain in this state for a predetermined time, or so that the projectors (10) remain active or inactive for predetermined times.